Fools Rush In
by Harris428
Summary: Sequel to Is there Life after Death? De Soto returns to Los Angeles seeking the truth. Will the pueblo be able to protect Diego?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: These characters are the property of ABC Family Channel and New World Productions. For entertainment purposes only.

Author's note: This is a sequel to 'Is There Life After Death'. This is part one.

**Fools Rush In**

By Beth Harris

Part 1

The port of San Pedro was not as busy today as it is usually on any other given day. Ships come in and out of the port at all times but usually they are fishing boats or cargo ships. Sometimes a passenger boat would be coming in from Spain or going to Spain or other parts of the world. The Harbormaster sighed. It had been quiet lately. He was waiting on the next boat to come in. Then he spotted it, the next boat from Spain. He called down to his crew to alert them to the incoming vessel. He looked out once more before descending the stairs to go greet the newcomers and start preparations for the next trip out.

The ship was mostly a cargo ship but it did have a few passengers. One of its passengers stood on deck watching the commotion of the crew getting ready to dock. He sighed. It had been a long trip and he was tired. He was anxious to disembark. He never really liked sailing but he had to come on this trip. He had an old score to settle and he couldn't wait to see the look on De La Vega's face when he gets his revenge. He wasn't going to be taken as a fool this time.

He had time on the trip to think about his revenge and how he was going to get it. He thought about lurking in the shadows and when he saw Diego he would just shoot him but he decided against it. Too fast, too easy. He wanted to see him suffer. He wanted to see the fear on his face. So he decided he was just going to ride into Los Angeles and let it be known that he was there. He may not have jurisdiction over Los Angeles anymore but Zorro was still a wanted criminal the last time he checked so he came to capture the illusive bandit. He was an officer in the Royal Spanish Army and he was going to bring that bandit back to Spain in chains if it's the last thing he does.

He disembarked and headed off to the local tavern to get a night's lodging and then in the morning he will go to the livery and get himself a horse and then head towards Los Angeles. He entered his room that he was able to rent and laid down on the bed and let a smirk cross his face. "Soon, very soon, I will get you Zorro if it's the last thing I do. I am not leaving here without you." He laughs himself to a peaceful sleep.

The next morning after he ate a fulfilling breakfast he headed to the livery to see about getting a horse for the ride to Los Angeles. He enters the barn and approaches a man sitting on a chair. "Hola, Senor." The man looks up from his reading and gets up and answers, "Buenos Dias, Senor. How may I help you?" Ignacio De Soto looks over at the horses that are waiting there and says "I would like to get a horse, a fast one, for a trip." The man guides him to a horse and starts to tack it. "Certainly, where are you headed, Senor?" De Soto looks appreciatively at the horse as the man guides the horse out for him to mount. "To Los Angeles. I have an old friend there. I need to pay back a long-awaited debt." The man tells him the price for the horse and De Soto hands over the required payment. "Gracias, Senor. Have a nice trip to Los Angeles." De Soto waves as he heads in the direction of Los Angeles.

That afternoon, Victoria is tending to the bar in the tavern in Los Angeles. She is surveying the room to see if any of her customers needed anything. She starts to think of Diego. He's only been gone a day and she misses him already. As she is thinking of him the baby kicks. "Miss your dad too, hmm." She starts to rub her tummy to calm the baby. She starts to smile. In little over a month she will be holding this baby in her arms and she can't wait. She was now happy with her pregnancy since the nausea finally stopped three months earlier. She thought it would never go away. At least Diego was a good sport about it. He tried everything he could to come up with a remedy that would stop the nausea but in the end they had to let it run its course. She drank every herbal tea they could find but nothing helped her. Needless to say she was relieved the first morning that she woke up and didn't have to barrel over her husband to get to the water closet. He was relieved also because it meant no more bruises from being trampled by her. He had more bruises from taking care of her then he ever received while being Zorro. She laughed at that thought.

At that moment Don Alejandro, the new Alcalde of Los Angeles, enters the tavern. After greeting some of his Caballero friends, he approaches the bar. "Buenos Dias, Victoria. What are you laughing about?"

Victoria smiles up at her Father-in-law. "Oh nothing, Father, just thinking of Diego, that's all. How are you this afternoon?"

"I'm wonderful. And you are looking positively radiant. If Diego were here and saw you, I don't think you'll be standing here very long." Don Alejandro answered through a warm smile. Victoria just chuckles as she blushes.

"I hope he comes home soon." She pouts as she pours him a glass of lemonade.

"Victoria, he just left yesterday. He should be back in a week and a half." Don Alejandro lifts the delicious drink up to his mouth.

"I know. I shouldn't be this way. But I was without him for six months and now I just don't want to have him out of my sight. I guess I'm just afraid of losing him again." Victoria turns away so Alejandro won't see the tear coming down her cheek.

Alejandro reaches over and places his hand on her arm. "Victoria, nothing will ever happen to him again. Trust me. He's safe."

"I know he's safe but not totally. Zorro still has a price on his head and if anyone finds out that he's alive and who he is then Diego will be in trouble." Victoria turns to face him again.

"Victoria, you know that I have a letter in to the governor and to the king requesting the absolute pardon of Zorro. Once that comes through then nobody, not even Ignacio De Soto, can touch him." He grabs her hand up and gives it a squeeze. Victoria places her other hand on his hand as a thank you.

"I have been wondering about De Soto lately." Victoria hates to admit that she even gives him a thought. "I sometimes have nightmares about him."

"You do. Have you talked to Diego about them?" Alejandro starts to worry about his daughter. He was against her still working here at the tavern in her condition. The doctor assured them that everything is fine and she can continue as long as she doesn't stress herself. So she mainly stood or sat on a stool behind the bar and took payments for people's orders while Alicia and Pilar did all the cooking, cleaning and tending to the customers. Don Diego or Felipe would come from time to time and do any heavy lifting for them or they would ask a lancer to help whenever the need arose. Plus as the months went by she only worked two hours a day and not everyday, only when she felt like it. She was now in the process of finding someone to manage the tavern. She promised she would stop working altogether as soon as Diego came home from Santa Paula. If she couldn't find someone to manage by the time Diego came home, he would send Sergeant Mendoza to fill in until someone was found. Don Alejandro was satisfied with the solution but he still worried. He couldn't help it, especially after losing his dear Elena. He just didn't want Diego to go through the nightmare that he did.

She shakes her head. "No, I don't want to worry him. He worries about me already. I don't want him to know that I am worried about De Soto. Not good for the baby for me to be worrying about something I shouldn't be. You know how he gets."

"It just shows you that he loves you. That is all." Alejandro raises his glass of lemonade in salute to a passerby.

"What would we do if De Soto were to ever come back here?" Victoria asks.

Don Alejandro starts to chuckle. "I don't think we will ever have to find out. De Soto would never step foot in here again. He hated Los Angeles. I remember that he couldn't wait to leave. No, De Soto would never come back."

"Don't ever say never, Don Alejandro." Both Victoria and Don Alejandro jerk their heads toward the entrance to the Tavern. There, standing in the doorway, was Ignacio De Soto. He entered taking his riding gloves off as he approached the bar where Don Alejandro was standing. He chuckled at the looks he was getting from Don Alejandro, Victoria and most of the patrons of the tavern.

Alejandro was the first to regain his voice. "De Soto, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I heard some interesting news so I came to see if it was true." He answered as he looked around the room. "So, where is your son?" He stared menacingly at them.

"Felipe? Oh, he's in Santa Barbara at a cattle auction. Since I'm the Alcalde, I can't run my ranch and Los Angeles also so he took on the responsibility of running the ranch for me." Don Alejandro answers while taking a sip of his lemonade. He can see that De Soto's presence is upsetting Victoria so he holds her hand to calm her. He also knew he was lying by telling him that Felipe was in Santa Barbara but De Soto didn't need to know that they were really in Santa Paula.

"No, I mean your eldest son; the traitor." De Soto snarls back. Why are they still trying to play him for a fool? He won't be fooled this time.

"Senor, you know as well as I do that Diego is no longer with us." Alejandro hopes that he can stick to that story. But he knows that there is whole town who knows the truth and any one of them can and will spill the beans. He decides that he's going to have to find a way to get the people behind him on this to help keep Diego alive.

"I know nothing of the sort. Zorro was a very clever man and it seems that he was even cleverer in his death. Do you really think that I don't have friends around here? One of my dearest friends in Santa Barbara wrote me and told me the miraculous news about Diego's rebirth, shall we say, shortly after my leaving Los Angeles. I don't like being taken for a fool. I really should have you all arrested for helping him escape but I don't believe you knew about his deceit." De Soto counters back.

"You have no authority here anymore." Victoria snaps at him. She is so angry and she is so worried now for Diego. She starts to shake, her nightmares are coming true.

"I may not have the authority to arrest you or Alejandro but I do still have the authority to get Zorro. And I will." He threatens her. He notices that she looks a little pale and there's something different about her from the last time that he saw her. He strokes his beard as he contemplates what has changed.

"You've got to be kidding. Your friend has the wrong information. Diego is dead. Someone saw someone who looked like Diego and had spread the rumor that he was alive. We quickly dispelled the rumor but I guess your friend didn't hear that it was false before he contacted you. You're gravely mistaken. If my son was alive, I would know." Don Alejandro lets a tear come down his cheek for effect.

"Perhaps." De Soto starts to think that maybe they are telling him the truth. And then he realizes what was different about Victoria. He grins "Ah, Senorita, I see that you are expecting. So who's the lucky man?"

"His name is Sebastian and you have never met him. He came to Los Angeles some time after you left and works out at the De La Vega rancho." Victoria smiles as she remembers the name that he had given them when he showed up at the ranch. What is she going to do? She needs to get to Diego to tell him about De Soto's return. He will think of something. He always does.

De Soto contemplates this information. Could they be protecting Diego or could this Sebastian fellow be Diego and they don't know it? "I would love to meet the man that stole your heart away from the fox. Where is he?"

"He's with Felipe. He may not have replaced Diego in our hearts but he has been a big help with Felipe in helping him get over his broken heart. Felipe was very attached to Diego if you remember." Victoria smiled.

He smirks. Yes he remembers very well. Out of kindness he spared Felipe. He could have easily taken him in and hung him as an accomplice of Zorro's but he decided that the family didn't need anymore grief. He may yet just change his mind on that. "How touching. When will they be returning?"

"I don't know, maybe in a week or so. Why?" Victoria cocks her eyebrow at him. Maybe he'll decide to leave, she hopes.

"No reason. Maybe I'll take a trip to Santa Barbara and visit him myself instead of waiting for his return. The sooner I'm out of this dust hole of a pueblo the better." De Soto decides.

"Why would you want to go to Santa Barbara, Senor? And how long will you be staying here in California." Alejandro tries to remain calm. He knows that Diego is in Santa Paula but if De Soto goes to Santa Barbara that will at least give them a week or so to prepare.

"I came here to look for the truth, Don Alejandro. If I have to go to Santa Barbara to find it then I will. And I will stay here for as long as it takes me to find Diego." De Soto answers with a sneer on his face.

Don Alejandro can't hold back the anger. "When will you get it through your thick head that my son is dead?"

"When I see it for myself, Don Alejandro." De Soto snaps back with a menacing sneer toward Don Alejandro.

"You did see it for yourself. You were there. Don't you remember?" Don Alejandro couldn't keep from showing his anger. He moved towards De Soto but Victoria came around the bar to hold him back with a hand on his arm.

"Time will tell." De Soto brought his gloves up and slapped them against his other hand. "Buenos Dias, Don Alejandro. I will see you when I return from Santa Barbara with your son in chains." He moved to leave the tavern.

Don Alejandro turned and said "Oh, De Soto, don't forget your traveler's tax" he snarled. He had abolished that tax shortly after taking office but De Soto didn't know it so he didn't bother to tell him. De Soto turned around and took out the required amount and placed it on the bar and left with a huff. Don Alejandro lifted it up and, with a grin on his face and mischievous look in his eyes, placed it in his pocket. He will deposit it into the poor box on the way home later.

Victoria watches him leave and then turns to Don Alejandro. "What are we going to do? We have to convince him that it was a rumor. We are going to need the help of the entire pueblo."

"Yes, but first I have to send someone to Santa Paula to warn Diego. We need to tell him to stay there until this blows over." Don Alejandro turns to face her and to try to calm her down. They will find a way.

"Unfortunately, Father, he's the one we need to help us. Besides he won't stay away, not when he thinks there is danger. He will want to help in some way." Victoria squeezes his hand as she takes it to calm his troubled heart. She knows how Alejandro feels. They just got him back and De Soto may take him away.

"What do you mean, Victoria?" Don Alejandro looked at her curiously.

"Do you remember when De Soto was going to hang Jose Rivas for Don Sebastian's murder and Diego almost convinced him that they had already executed him?" Victoria's face started to look hopeful to Alejandro. Yes he did remember it and he also remembered how proud he was of his son during that time.

"Yes and it almost worked if it hadn't been for the wine stain." He shook his head in memory. "But what would that have to do with this problem?"

"We need Diego's brain." She said as Don Emilio and Don Carlos approached them. Both Alejandro and Victoria turned towards them as they approached.

"We remember, Senora. It was a very brave thing that Diego and Mendoza did for Jose. We want to help in any way that we can." Don Emilio spoke for them both and Don Carlos nodded and interjected "We could start speaking to people and get our vaqueros involved in getting the town behind Diego if you wish."

"Thank you Senores, we will appreciate any help in this matter." Victoria gave them both hugs and then they left to start their mission. Before they left Don Alejandro instructed them about what to say so that all their stories will match.

Victoria turned and smiled at her Father-in-law. "How about you stay here and spread the word that Diego should remain dead and I'm married to man named Sebastian and I will ride with Miguel to Santa Paula and talk to Diego?" Victoria says.

"How would we explain you suddenly leaving?" Don Alejandro started to worry that De Soto would see through this but decided to follow Victoria's lead and remain calm.

"A pre-planned trip to meet up with my husband and Miguel is going along to protect me. I will wait a few hours before I leave so I don't meet him on the road." Victoria started to head to the kitchen to talk to Alicia about the tavern.

Alejandro smiled back at her. He knew she was smart and good for his son. He hoped that they could pull off this new ruse. "Sounds like a plan. I will go talk to the lancers about our idea." He hopes they can get to everyone before De Soto returns from Santa Barbara.

Alejandro heads out of the tavern and crosses the plaza towards the Alcalde's office. He turns as a horse approaches him. Don Emilio halts his horse to stand in front of Don Alejandro. "Don Alejandro, I just wanted to let you know that I saw De Soto riding towards Santa Barbara." Don Alejandro smiles and thanks Don Emilio for his help and continues walking towards the office as he waves goodbye to Emilio. Now he realizes that they have time to carry out his plan. He notices Mendoza talking to his men about the maneuvers he's going to be sending them on tonight. Alejandro walks over to him and asks him to follow him to the office. As they enter the office, Alejandro asks Mendoza to sit and Mendoza obeys.

"Sergeant, we have a problem." He notices Mendoza start to squirm in his seat. "De Soto is back." He ignores the shocked look on Mendoza's face and continues. "He heard that Diego is alive. I told him it was a rumor someone had started because they thought they saw someone who looked like him."

"What would you like me to do, mi Alcalde?" Mendoza quickly straightened up in his seat ready to do whatever the Alcalde needed him to do.

"Victoria and I told him it wasn't true and that Victoria is now married to a man named Sebastian. We need to spread the word to lancers and citizens alike that for De Soto's sake Diego is still dead and Victoria is married to Sebastian, one of my new vaqueros. It's about time that we protect him like he had protected us all those years." Don Alejandro voiced their plan to him. "Don Carlos and Don Emilio have already started."

"Si, mi Alcalde." Mendoza started to rise. "Right away." But Alejandro gestured for him to sit for another minute.

"Mendoza. Do it as soon as possible. We have time, De Soto left for Santa Barbara. I will do my best to inform as many people as I can also. I will start in the Tavern then I will go speak to the Padre. He's always walking around talking to people so he could help us." Don Alejandro pleaded with him.

"Si, mi Alcalde. But what of Diego?" Mendoza asked wondering about whether or not Diego knew about this turn of events.

"He's in Santa Paula with Felipe. Victoria and Miguel will be leaving shortly to inform him. We told De Soto that Felipe and Sebastian were in Santa Barbara hoping that will throw him off. It worked; he's on his way there now. That will give us at least a week to prepare our plan." Don Alejandro was touched by Mendoza's concern.

"Well then it's a good thing he wasn't in town when De Soto arrived." Mendoza started to rise again to leave.

"Yes, but I wish we had warning that he was coming. Then at least we could have been prepared already. We failed the last time we tried to fool him." Don Alejandro was thankful that Mendoza knew the importance of the matter.

"Yes, I remember that well." Mendoza says as he rubs his neck in remembrance. He almost got hung for that decision to help Jose Rivas. If it weren't for Zorro, he wouldn't be standing here today trying to save Diego's life.

"Let's get to it." Don Alejandro also rises to go through the door with Mendoza.

"Si, mi Alcalde." Mendoza salutes his commanding officer and rushes off to address his lancers. Maneuvers would be cancelled tonight they had a new job to do. One that hopefully saves the life of the man he has called his friend for years now. The pueblo was going to be asked to stand up and protect the man they call their hero.

**End of Part one**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: These characters are the property of ABC Family Channel and New World Productions. For entertainment purposes only.

Author's note: For story purposes I made de Soto able to speak French fluently even though it was never implied in the show.

Thank you to my beta reader, Amy, for all your help.

**Fools Rush In**

**Part 2**

Victoria rushed back to the hacienda to talk to Miguel about the situation and to prepare for the trip. Miguel listened intently to the story. He wanted to help in any way that he could. "Señora, forgive me, but do you think it is wise to travel to Santa Paula this late in the day and in your condition?" He politely asked, hoping he didn't offend the señora.

She looked out the window and noticed that the sun was indeed beginning to set. "It is getting late, isn't it? Maybe we should wait until morning."

"Yes, Señora, we should wait till morning. That way I will have time to make the carriage as comfortable as possible for you. But Señora, I could always make the trip myself and bring Diego home for you." He tried again to change her mind about coming, but he knew that it would be a losing battle.

"No, I have to go. I have to see my husband. If I don't go, he may not see the importance of his returning as soon as possible to Los Angeles. I know that I shouldn't be traveling in my condition but if I don't go, I will worry too much and that won't be good for the baby either. I need to do this, Miguel," she told him.

He nodded, "I understand, Señora. I will go and make all the arrangements for our trip. I'll bring Jose, our newest vaquero, with us for added protection." He bowed to her and started for the door.

"Gracias, Miguel." Victoria smiled at him. "Adios."

"De Nada, Señora." Miguel smiled as he closed the door. Victoria turned towards her bedroom to put together an overnight bag.

Z Z Z Z Z Z

Don Alejandro was sitting at his desk in the alcalde's office when Mendoza came in to check in with him. Mendoza stood at attention in front of his desk before he took a seat when Alejandro gestured for him to sit.

"Well, Mendoza, how did you do?" Alejandro asked after Mendoza took his seat.

"Muy bueno, mí alcalde. I spoke to everybody I came across in the plaza, the tavern, and the shops. I even spoke to people you or the Padre had already spoken to. I sent Sepulveda and Perez out to all the farmers and caballeros alike to spread the word. Everyone that I have spoken to so far has agreed to help." Mendoza took out his handkerchief to wipe his brow.

"Good, good; keep it up. We got to get to everybody. Once Diego returns we will come up with a plan. Once we have one I will call a town meeting and inform everybody at once and put it in place so that when de Soto returns we will be ready." Alejandro smiled. He had a good feeling about what they were doing. He had a feeling that everything would work out okay.

"Excuse me, mí alcalde, but do you know what Diego will do?" Mendoza asked with trepidation.

"No, Mendoza, we won't know that until Diego returns with Victoria," Don Alejandro said.

"Maybe Victoria should just tell Diego to stay in Santa Paula until this blows over." Mendoza started to fidget with his helmet.

"No, it wouldn't help in the situation. De Soto won't leave or will go looking for him. Plus I don't think he will leave until he meets this 'Sebastian' for himself and make sure that it isn't Diego in disguise. So therefore 'Sebastian' will have to make an appearance." It has occurred to Alejandro that maybe Diego should stay in Santa Paula and he could have one of his vaqueros pose as Victoria's husband, but he didn't think Diego would stay behind and let them take care of his problem, so he put it out of his mind.

"What if de Soto sees right through the disguise?" Mendoza asked, clearly worried about Diego.

"Then I'm sure Diego would have thought of something. He would have an alternative plan in case his first one fails. He's very clever, that son of mine. Right now we need the fox to get us out of this. But if we can stand up as a pueblo and get rid of this problem ourselves, then all the better," Don Alejandro exclaimed with pride in his voice.

"Sí, mí alcalde." Mendoza said with a smile.

"I see it's getting late, time for dinner. I should be heading home. That will be all." He dismissed Mendoza as he stood up to head home. "Thank you, Sergeant."

"De nada, Alcalde. Buenos noches." Mendoza said as he hurried out the front door and towards the tavern for his long-awaited dinner. Don Alejandro smiled as he mounted Dulcinea and headed out of the pueblo towards the hacienda.

Z Z Z Z Z

As Don Alejandro reached the hacienda, one of his vaqueros came out and greeted him and took the reins of Dulcinea and led the horse to the stables after Don Alejandro had dismounted. He had a very weary day and he was glad to be home, but it would be a lonely meal. Both Felipe and Diego were in Santa Paula with no idea what was happening back here in Los Angeles. Victoria was on her way there, in hopes of bringing her husband home to stop the former Alcalde. He shook his head. 'Maybe I should have stayed in town and had my dinner with Mendoza.' He entered the hacienda and went to the library to sit for a few minutes to unwind, but when he entered the room Victoria stood up to greet him.

"Father," she smiled.

"Victoria, my dear, what are you still doing here? I thought you left hours ago. Is everything all right?" Don Alejandro went to embrace her and settle her back into her seat.

"Everything is fine. Miguel thought it would be better to travel in the morning." Victoria smiled, but Alejandro could see the worry in her face even though she tried to hide it.

"Victoria, are you sure you want to make this trip? Miguel can do it by himself. I don't think it's wise for you to do it. What if something were to happen to you? Diego would never forgive me." He grabbed her hands, begging her not to go.

Victoria started to cry. "I can't sit back and do nothing. I have to go. It will keep my mind from worrying. Miguel already tried to talk me out of it. I will be fine. My mother was still working when she gave birth to me. Please, I need to do this."

"So there is nothing I can say that will change your mind?" Alejandro stared into the beautiful face that stole his son's heart away.

"No, I'll be fine. Miguel and Jose will be there with me. They will take care of me. I already talked to Dr. Hernandez and he said it will be fine as long as I'm not gone for long." Victoria wiped the last remaining tears off her face.

"All right, but I want you to take it slow. Take a lot of breaks along the way and don't rush. I will check in with Miguel later and see what preparations he is making? I'm glad Jose will be going with you also." Alejandro hugged her to comfort her. He knew she was worried but she was determined also.

"I will, Father. So how did it go in town?" Victoria turned the conversation away from her traveling.

"I talked to people, the Padre spoke to others, Mendoza went from shop to shop and home to home, and he sent Sepulveda and Perez out to farmers and haciendas to explain the situation. He's going to continue tomorrow until everyone has been told. They are all eager to help the fox," Alejandro told Victoria as Maria entered to inform them that dinner will be ready in a half hour. Alejandro nodded as she left the room.

"Good. Mendoza is a good and a loyal friend." Victoria smiled her appreciation of the good Sergeant.

"When Diego returns and we come up with a good plan, I will call a town meeting and set it in motion." Alejandro went to the decanter of water and poured each of them a drink of water.

"That's a good idea. Then everybody will know what to say. I'm sure that Diego will know what to do. When we return, we will all put our heads together and come up with something." Victoria sighed, taking the glass of water he offered her with a smile.

"Yes, Victoria, we will. I think that as soon as we finish dinner, you should go to bed. I want you well rested for your trip. Don't even think about de Soto," Alejandro told her as if it were an order he was giving one of his soldiers.

"I will, Father." Victoria smiled as Maria entered and informed them that dinner was served. They happily entered the dining room to eat. Alejandro asked Maria to have a basket of food ready in the morning for Victoria and the two vaqueros for the trip to Santa Paula. She agreed and said that it would be ready in the morning even though she expressed her misgivings about Victoria traveling in her condition, but she knew how stubborn the señora could be and sometimes admired her for it.

Z Z Z Z Z

The next morning, Miguel and Jose were standing by the carriage waiting for Victoria to come out. They hurried over to grab her bags when she finally came out with Don Alejandro behind her. Maria came out behind him with the basket full of food and handed it to Jose who put it in the carriage. Don Alejandro was impressed with his vaqueros when he noticed the extra pillows and blankets in the carriage. They were definitely going to be taking very good care of Victoria and he nodded approvingly. He turned when Victoria placed her hand on his arm to get his attention. She hugged him warmly. He could tell that she indeed had a good night's sleep. She broke the contact and went to get in the carriage. Both Jose and Miguel helped her. She nodded her thanks as she sat down and they took their respective seats in front.

Alejandro wiped a tear from his eye. "Take care of her, Miguel. Vaya con Dios."

"We will patron. Don't you worry? We will be back as soon as possible with Diego and Felipe also. Adios," Miguel yelled back to Alejandro as he ordered the horses to go.

Don Alejandro waved as the carriage drove away. He watched until it disappeared before heading to the stables to saddle Dulcinea to go to the pueblo and check in with Mendoza and check on the tavern. He had promised Victoria he would take care of things there. Plus he wanted to continue talking to people about de Soto.

Z Z Z Z Z Z

The trip to Santa Paula was a long one. They did as Alejandro directed and took hourly breaks and rested for a half hour on each break. Victoria welcomed them. She didn't realize how much the trip would take out of her. She was just starting to doze off when Jose turned around and informed her that they were entering the outskirts of Santa Paula. "We should be there within fifteen minutes," he exclaimed. Victoria smiled up at him. "Thank you, Jose."

She sat up to get a better look at her surroundings. She smiled. It all looked the same as the time she fondly remembered being here with Diego all those years ago. She had wanted to stay for the night but he insisted on getting home and then they ran into a storm and had to take shelter in a windmill. She should have realized that he was Zorro after that trip, but she hadn't. She giggled, recalling Diego's attempts to avoid being close to her that night. They approached the tavern in which they believed Diego would be staying.

They entered the tavern and looked around. Victoria didn't see Diego anywhere. She noticed that the tavern looked somewhat like hers but a little smaller. She approached the bar and started to talk to the person behind the counter. "Can you please tell me if a Felipe and Diego de la Vega are staying here?"

The woman looked up and said "Yes, who is calling?"

"I am Victoria Escalante, Diego's wife." Victoria smiled.

The woman smiled and told her which room was Diego's. Victoria thanked her and they went up the stairs to the room. Victoria knocked softly, hoping that Diego was in. She wanted to see him so badly. She was about to turn to Miguel when the door started to open. She smiled to see Diego and Felipe staring out at her.

"Victoria! Miguel! What are you doing here?" he exclaimed, taking Victoria in his arms, but then he frowned. "Are you able to travel in your condition?" he questioned as he waved them into the room and closed the door. He guided her over to the chair and had her sit down while Miguel and Jose excused themselves and went to take care of her bags and the carriage.

"I had to come, Diego! Miguel and Jose escorted me and they took very good care of me on the way." Victoria was just so happy to see him that she wouldn't let go of his hand. Diego could tell that something was terribly wrong.

"What's the matter? Did something happen to Father?" He anxiously asked. He was now getting worried. Felipe sat on the bed fidgeting as worry came over his face also.

"Father is fine, Diego. It's de Soto. He has returned from Spain." Victoria couldn't hold back the fear in her voice.

Diego's face went pale and Felipe was wide-eyed with shock. She had never seen Diego react anything like this before, not even while he was Zorro. "_What?_" he finally found his voice.

"A friend of his in Santa Barbara wrote him and told him you were alive. He has come back to do Lord knows what. He wasn't happy. I think he intends to kill you!" Victoria finally let the full force of her feelings come out and she started to cry uncontrollably.

"Please, Victoria, don't cry." Diego knelt on the ground before her and started to caress her arms to calm her. He didn't want her to worry so much. "What did you tell him?"

"We told him that it was a rumor - that someone thought they saw you, but it was just someone who looked like you. We had quickly dispelled it and we guessed that his friend didn't hear that it was false." Victoria wiped her eyes with the handkerchief that Felipe offered her. "Gracias."

"Did he believe you?" Diego got back up in his seat now that she had calmed down a little. De Soto was back and if they couldn't convince him that what he heard was untrue, he was in trouble.

"He seemed to, but he wasn't totally convinced. Your Father is going to talk to as many people as he can so that if de Soto talks to them, they will all have the same story – that it was a cruel rumor." Victoria took a sip of the glass of water that Felipe brought to her. She smiled up at him.

"That's good." Diego seemed to be calming down as well, in Victoria's opinion. "But what about your condition, did he say anything about that? Speaking of which, you could've just sent Miguel and Jose and I would have come home as soon as possible. You shouldn't have risked your life and the baby to come here," He admonished her.

"I'm fine. We took all the precautions in coming here; I even spoke to Dr. Hernandez about it and he said it was okay as long as I didn't rush. We took breaks every hour and Miguel was very gentle with the carriage." Victoria smiled at him and patted his arm to assure him that she would be fine. "As far as de Soto, I told him that I had married a man named Sebastian who had come to work with the de la Vegas last year as a vaquero. He asked where he was and if he could meet him. I told him that he had gone with Felipe to Santa Barbara."

"Well, I guess I will have to become Sebastian again. I hope you won't mind the horrible beard again." Diego chuckled, remembering that day when she yelled at him to shave it off. "Unless we come up with another plan, I will have to think about it."

"Anything that will protect you. We need your brains to fool de Soto. I don't know how successful your Father will be," Victoria said.

"How did you explain your sudden departure to come here? He's got to think it suspicious that you suddenly left to come here after he arrived. That would make me think you were going to warn someone, if I were de Soto." Diego's brow creased, as if he were worried that de Soto might have followed her.

"When we told him that Sebastian and Felipe were in Santa Barbara, he decided to ride there. So we have time before he realizes that you aren't there and comes back. Enough time to come up with a good plan that will work." Victoria again thought back to the time with Jose Rivas and how that plan backfired, but it wouldn't have if that stain wasn't in the carpet.

"Clever. I always knew you were the perfect match for the fox." He gave her one of his famous lopsided grins.

"Funny. So how are we going to do this?" Victoria asked him.

"Well, we'll leave and return to the hacienda as soon as possible and I will become Sebastian unless we come up with another plan. All the stuff I need to change my appearance is back at the hacienda. But I definitely will not be able to use le Renard as my last name this time." Diego starts to chuckle. He had liked that name.

"Why not?" Victoria was curious on his reasons.

"Because de Soto is well educated and if I recall correctly, he spoke fluent French. So he would know what le Renard means and will most likely guess my identity." Diego explained.

"But you don't know that," Victoria exclaimed as she leaned forward to touch his knee.

"No, I don't, but why take the chance." He grabs her hand and brings it up to kiss her palm. "Don't worry, Victoria, we'll get through this. And if this doesn't work and he knows it's me, then I will try to talk some sense into him. His wish came true; Zorro is dead and he returned to his beloved Madrid a hero."

Victoria shook her head. "I hope you are right."

"I hope so too. But right now you look weary from your trip. Why don't you go lie down while Felipe and I think of a plan? We'll be downstairs in the taproom with Miguel and Jose. We'll leave first thing in the morning." Diego guides her over to the bed and she lies down.

She suddenly sits back up. "But what of the cattle auction?" Victoria was upset that he couldn't finish the auction.

"Don't worry. There weren't any cattle here worth buying this time. There will be more auctions another day. I'm sure Father will understand. And besides, the cattle auction is the least of my worries." Diego smiled to reassure her that everything was going to turn out fine. As Diego was closing the door, she fell into a restful sleep.

Victoria woke up a few hours later. Noticing that her travel bag was in the room, she changed out of her traveling clothes and freshened up before going out the door and making her way downstairs. Diego was sitting at one of the tables with the vaqueros and Felipe. Seeing Victoria approaching, he rose and guided her to one of the empty chairs.

"Victoria, you're awake. How do you feel? Are you hungry?" he asked her as he sat back down in his seat.

"I'm fine. Yes, I'm a bit hungry." Victoria smiled at her husband. He could be overly caring sometimes. She chuckled.

Diego got up and went to the counter and ordered a meal and brought Victoria a glass of lemonade. He sat back down and handed her the glass.

"Thank you, Diego. You seem excited about something, what is it?"

"De Nada, Victoria. I think we have come up with a plan. We'll run it by Father when we get home, but I think it will work. It will also involve Dr. Hernandez." Diego smiled at her when her face lit up.

"You did? What is it?" Victoria now couldn't contain her excitement.

"Jose here will pose as your husband, Sebastian. He is a relatively new vaquero so de Soto would not recognize him. You will live at one of the tenant's homes. I think the Gomez family will be leaving to visit their relatives in Guadalajara in the next couple days, we can use their home. I'm sure they will agree. We can have Father talk to them." Diego explained the first part of their plan. He could see the wheels turning in her head at the idea. He knew she liked it so far when she smiled and patted Jose's hand in gratitude. Jose blushed.

"But what will you be doing?" Victoria suddenly realized that Diego wouldn't be Sebastian. "What if the baby comes while we are trying to pull this off? I want you to be there."

"Don't worry, Victoria. I will be. I am going to come to town as a stranger. I will be Dr. Hernandez' new assistant if the doctor agrees. The only people who will know it's me will be you, Father, Felipe, the doctor, Miguel, Jose, and Mendoza. So therefore, because I will be assisting the doctor in all matters, I will be there when the baby is born. I will be there as Salvador Guilleranz. And since I will be there a short time and need a place to stay, Don Alejandro will be kind and offer me a place to stay." He took her hand in his and caressed it.

Victoria smiled. She remembered that name from when she went to Devil's Fortress in search of her father. The commandante's daughter had asked Alcalde Ramone if he knew of such a man and that he was the outlaw Zorro. Neither she nor Ramone had ever heard of the name so they concluded that she was duped. She chuckled.

Diego looked at her. "What's so funny, Victoria?" He didn't remember saying anything funny.

"How many aliases do you have, Señor?" Victoria broke out in a full blown laugh.

Diego couldn't help but smile. "I don't believe you knew of that one." He was puzzled about how she knew of it.

"At Devil's Fortress, the commandante's daughter informed Ramone and I of the identity of the masked outlaw Zorro as being a one Salvador Guilleranz. Ramone told her she was deceived because he had never heard of a Señor Guilleranz." She chuckled some more before finally quieting down. Diego couldn't help but laugh also.

As the waitress put Victoria's meal in front of her, Diego asked, "Well, what do you think of the plan?"

"I think it's great. It should work. Hopefully nobody will give it away." Victoria started to eat her meal.

"We'll fine tune it once we get home and decide when Señor Guilleranz will make his appearance. I believe he should come after de Soto returns so as not to raise suspicion, but Sebastian should be home by then," Diego explained as he took a drink from his cup. "We'll leave tomorrow morning for home. I will hide out in the hacienda, changing my appearance and Sebastian will be constantly at your side. That way Jose can let us know when de Soto has returned and I will wait two or three days before I come to work with Dr. Hernandez."

"You'll have to stay out of sight, Diego; de Soto will decide to come there at times. You know that Don Alejandro will be as hospitable as possible to him so that he can meet Sebastian."

"Don't worry, Querida; I'll be as invisible as a ghost. I should be quite comfortable for a few days," Diego explained so as not to worry her.

They all talked more about the plan and afterwards Diego and Victoria took a short walk in the plaza and then they retired for the night. They wanted to get an early start in the morning. They had a lot to do and some planning to do. Diego knew he had time to figure this all out but he feared his days were numbered and he was going to do everything in his power to prevent what he feared was going to happen. He rolled over and watched his wife sleep and lightly caressed her expanded stomach He wanted to be around to watch his baby grow up and he wasn't about to let de Soto take that away from him. Not without a fight.

**End of Part Two**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: These characters are the property of ABC Family Channel and New World Productions. For entertainment purposes only.

Special thanks to Amy, me beta reader, for all your great advice.

**Fools Rush In**

**Part 3**

The trip back to Los Angeles took just as long as the trip to get to Santa Paula, maybe even a little longer. Victoria had tried to convince Diego to ride ahead, since he was riding Toronado and could make it back to the hacienda before them and put Alejandro's worries to rest, but Diego insisted on staying with Victoria. He was going to make sure she got home safely.

Don Alejandro met them at the door when they arrived with a smile and hugs all around. Diego escorted Victoria to their bedroom to get her to take a nap and then returned to the library to talk to his father. He was sure that Alejandro was eager to hear whether they came up with a plan.

"Diego, it's good that you came home." Alejandro stood as his son entered the room and they embraced.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," he said as they broke their embrace. He knew that his father was having a hard time with this. If their plan failed, he could lose his son again, and Diego didn't want to put his father through that again. "Father, sorry about the cattle auction."

Alejandro swatted his arm. "Who cares about that, all I care about is you." How could he be thinking about the cattle auction at a time like this? He shook his head.

"I know. I'm sorry." Diego bowed his head. He wished he could make this all go away.

"Well, have you thought of a plan?" Alejandro sat down and encouraged Diego to sit also. Felipe came into the room through the fireplace from the cave. Alejandro looked at him in puzzlement.

Diego sensing his father's confusion said, "Felipe put Toronado in the cave. I'm going to need him there for our plan." Felipe went to sit in the corner to listen to their talk.

Alejandro nodded his head in understanding. "So what is it?"

Diego proceeded to tell him the whole plan. That Jose will be Sebastian Gomez and Diego will be Salvador Guilleranz, Dr. Hernandez's assistant. After de Soto comes back, Diego will stay in the cave for two to three days and then come to Los Angeles.

"I love it. Sounds perfect." Alejandro felt relief that they now had a plan.

"Father, do you know if the Gomez family is still going to Guadalajara?" Diego asked.

"Yes, I believe they are leaving the day after tomorrow. They asked for one of my vaqueros to look after the place. Why?"

"Well, I was going to use their place as Victoria and Sebastian's home. Sebastian could be a cousin of theirs. Could you go and ask them, please?" Diego explained.

"Oh! I'm sure they wouldn't mind. I'll ask them first thing in the morning," Alejandro answered.

"Felipe!" Felipe stood up at the sound of his name. "Could you go to Dr. Hernandez and ask him to come to the hacienda tomorrow morning?" Diego asked as he wrote a note. "Give him this note, it will explain everything. Gracias." Felipe nodded, grabbed the note, and ran out the door to complete his errand. Even though he was a de la Vega now, he didn't mind doing errands for them from time to time. It made him feel useful.

"Should we call a town meeting tomorrow to inform the pueblo of the plan?" Alejandro turned back to Diego after Felipe left the house.

"Yes, you can do that. I won't be there," Diego informed his father.

"Why, where will you be?" Alejandro questioned in surprise. He thought that Diego would be the one explaining the plan.

"I will be here in hiding. No one is to know who I will be returning as. Tell them about Jose becoming Sebastian so that my identity won't easily be given away," Diego told his father.

"But Diego, they will want to know in order to protect you." Alejandro clearly thought that Diego would do all the talking. He was a much better speaker than he was. He didn't want to miss a thing.

"Father, we don't know when Ignacio will be returning. He could surprise us and come back earlier than we planned. The less I'm around the better." Diego implored his father to understand.

"Then who will know your identity?" Alejandro hoped that he won't be left out of this secret identity also.

"You, Victoria, Felipe, Jose, and Miguel will be the only ones who know who I am. Oh, and Dr. Hernandez also." Diego eased his worry. "Has the town been informed that de Soto has returned?"

"Yes, they are all eager to help you with anything you need." Alejandro smiled.

Diego felt proud. "Good, we will need all of their help. Now, I'm going to go check on Victoria and get some sleep."

"I'll wake you for dinner." Alejandro patted Diego on the back.

"Gracias, Father," Diego said as he left the room.

Z Z Z Z Z Z Z

The next day both the Gomezes and Dr. Hernandez agreed to do anything to help in their quest. Victoria and Sebastian would use the Gomez's place as their home. Dr. Hernandez would hire Salvador Guilleranz as his assistant for a couple months. The de la Vegas hoped it won't have to last that long. Diego stood at the front door as Felipe, Alejandro, and Victoria left in the carriage to go to the pueblo to attend the town meeting. Jose rode behind them on a horse.

They arrived at the tavern in no time. It was very crowded when they walked in. Victoria went to sit on her stool behind the bar as Jose stood next to her. Alejandro and Felipe met up with Mendoza at the front. They had requested that only one person from each household attend the meeting because they wouldn't have been able to accommodate every single citizen of Los Angeles. Mendoza made a motion for people to quiet down and slowly the noise died down and people paid attention to Alcalde de la Vega.

"Señores, Señoras, and Señoritas, thank you for coming today. I want to personally thank you for all the help you are going to be giving us. Diego wants to extend his gratitude to you all. He wanted to be here today, but he felt it better to only appear when it is time." Don Alejandro smiled.

"He has come up with a plan that we feel will work and if we work together, then we can pull it off." The people started to cheer. Alejandro smiled in pride as he waited for them to quiet down again.

"If you all look over at Victoria, there is a man standing beside her. That is Jose, one of my newest vaqueros. He will be posing as her husband, Sebastian Gomez. They will be using my tenant's, the Gomezes, home as their home until de Soto leaves. So you should call him Sebastian starting today." Alejandro smiled at Victoria and she smiled back. "We want to start the charade as soon as possible because we don't know exactly when de Soto will be returning to Los Angeles and we don't want to be caught off-guard."

Someone yelled from the crowd. "What about Diego? When will he show up?"

"When de Soto returns, Jose will go and inform Diego," Alejandro explained. "He knows you all want to help. He doesn't want to offend anybody by keeping his identity a secret. It's all to fool de Soto."

Don Emilio stood up. "Diego needs our help, my friends. He risked his life for five years to help us. I think it's time that we all stand up and give all our time and energy to help him. Let's show Diego that he didn't risk his life as Zorro for nothing. Let's stand up and thank him the only way we can by protecting him the best we can. Let's show de Soto he can't just come in here and take away our friend without a fight." He looks around the room. "Who's with me?" He unsheathes his sword and holds it straight up in the air.

One by one all the caballeros unsheathed their swords and followed suit and the peasants and other citizens raised their fists in the air in unison shouting Diego's name over and over again. Alejandro smiled the biggest smile in his life and his heart felt like leaping out of his chest. A tear came down his cheek as he looked over at Victoria and saw her smiling and crying at the same time. Even Felipe was holding back tears. Unbeknownst to anyone, there was one more set of eyes watching the commotion going on in the taproom from the kitchen. Diego turned around and leaned against the wall and tears started to stream down his face. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was proud. He was now glad that he had decided to come and see what was happening. He heard his father take over and fully explain their plan as he let the back door close behind him and with a grateful heart, jumped onto Toronado and rode out for home.

Z Z Z Z Z Z

A week passed as people got used to seeing Sebastian around Victoria. So by the time de Soto came back to Los Angeles, they were accustomed to seeing them together; it was like they had always been husband and wife. Sebastian was already living in the Gomez home and Victoria moved most of her things in to give it the appearance that she was living there also, but she mainly stayed at the de la Vega hacienda until she needed to move there also. Diego mostly stayed hidden in the cave and when he did come out he stayed very close to the cave entrance so that if a knock came to the door he could quickly disappear. He didn't shave and a beard was slowly growing, but he would use his theatric supplies to supplement the rest. He wanted enough to hide his features, but not to look too scraggily. He mainly used the time to experiment with trying to change his hair color to further disguise himself. He hoped that by the time that he was needed to appear his own father wouldn't recognize him.

He was in the cave attempting one of his experiments and grooming Toronado at the same time when Felipe came running in. He stopped in his tracks with a laugh when he noticed Diego standing beside Toronado with a towel wrapped around his head. The sight just made him bend over in laughter. Diego turned and tried to hit him for laughing at him, but missed. "Ha, Ha, Ha. I'm glad that you find my appearance quite funny." Felipe said that he was sorry and that he didn't expect this scenario. Diego patted him on the back and went to sit down at his desk. "What is it, Felipe?"

Felipe remembered what he was coming in to tell him and started to sign vigorously. He was so excited that he forgot that he could speak and did what came naturally and that was to sign.

"Slow down, I can't understand." Felipe slowed down enough for him to understand. "You just saw de Soto riding past the hacienda on his way to Los Angeles?"

Felipe shook his head in confirmation and Diego sighed. "Well, I guess the show is on. Go to town and see what's going on and then let me know what happened. I guess I will have to speed up my transformation, because in two or three days Salvador Guilleranz has got to make an appearance." Felipe left the cave to head to town while Diego moved over to the wash basin to see if this experiment had worked. He hoped that it had because he didn't have any more time to experiment.

Z Z Z Z Z Z

Victoria and Sebastian were sitting in the tavern enjoying their lunch when Don Alejandro came in and joined them. Victoria had done what she had promised to do; she had stopped working once Diego had returned from Santa Paula. She hadn't found anyone to manage the tavern so Alejandro granted Mendoza leave to take care of it for her. As long as he stayed out of the kitchen, everything was working out fine. Mendoza quite enjoyed managing the tavern and it was a welcome relief from his job as a soldier.

"Hola, Don Alejandro." Victoria smiled. She had taken to calling him by his name lately so that when it counted, she wouldn't falter and call him "Father" by mistake in front of de Soto.

"Buenos dias, Victoria. Sebastian." He sat down across from them and ordered his lunch from Maria, who came over to take his order. Sebastian nodded his greetings. Alejandro noticed that they were quite comfortable with each other, which was good for the charade.

Victoria wanted to ask about Diego, but they all had made a pact not to talk about him in public, just in case. She had just taken a drink when she suddenly froze and stared at the door. Alejandro noticed her stance and followed her gaze. Standing in the doorway was Ignacio de Soto. They were all ready for him when he returned, but it still was a shock to see him. Deep down, Alejandro had hoped that he had given up and returned to Spain. No such luck.

Alejandro was the first to respond. He approached de Soto. "Buenos dias, Señor. I see that you have returned." He noticed that the whole taproom had quieted down and were now watching the scene.

"Yes, Don Alejandro, I have. You see, I must have missed your son in Santa Barbara," he sneered. He was angry that he had been sent on a wild goose chase. "But then I found out there was no cattle auction in Santa Barbara. Needless to say, I was a little angry."

"Well, I'm sorry about that. Felipe had told me that it was going to be in Santa Barbara. I'm still not used to his signs. He must have told me Santa Paula and I misunderstood him to have said Santa Barbara. But Felipe and Sebastian have returned if you want to see them now." Don Alejandro nonchalantly directed him over to his table.

"Ignacio de Soto, I would like you to meet Sebastian Gomez, Victoria's husband." Alejandro introduced them to each other. De Soto looked over the young man and saw that this couldn't possibly be Diego in disguise. He was short and a little stocky. Not even close to what he envisioned Victoria would marry after being so in love with a man like Zorro.

Sebastian stood and shook Ignacio's hand. "Buenos dias, Señor. It is nice to meet you."

"So you are the one who healed Victoria's heart?" De Soto politely smiled down at Victoria.

"Sí, Señor. I was quite taken with her when I arrived here to work with the de la Vegas. She is a very beautiful woman and she has made me very happy." Sebastian smiled as he placed a hand on Victoria's shoulder. Victoria placed her hand on his and smiled up at him.

"Yes, she is." De Soto was flabbergasted. He fully expected to see Diego in disguise standing before him, but it wasn't him. Was his friend wrong, like they claimed? Was he just wasting his time? Well, he might as well make a vacation out of it. He would ride to San Pedro later and inquire about the next ship out to Spain and stay till then. "Well, I can see that my friend was indeed wrong. I'm sorry, Don Alejandro, for the pain I am probably causing."

"You are forgiven, Señor. If I were in your place and heard of a rumor like that, I would have investigated it also. What do you plan on doing now?" Don Alejandro was relieved that he believed them, but he knew they weren't out of the woods yet. Anything could happen that could change his mind.

"Well, I think I will ride to San Pedro to check on the next ship going out and return to stay in your lovely tavern. I will make a vacation out of it. Do you have any rooms, Señora?" He bowed to Victoria.

"Well, you will have to ask my manager, Mendoza. He's running the tavern now, since I don't have long before I will be having my baby." Victoria gestured to Mendoza who had come up beside them.

Mendoza politely told him that they had a room and that by the time he got back to the pueblo that it would be ready for him. De Soto thanked him and left to head to San Pedro. Everyone waited a few minutes and then they all started to clap and cheer.

Don Alejandro was pleased, but cautious. "Now, my friends, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We are not out of the woods yet. We still need to be cautious and keep to the plan. He may be here a few weeks; therefore, we are going to have to keep up the charade. Let's celebrate when he is gone for good."

Everybody understood and quieted down and went back to their conversations. Felipe ran out to inform Diego of what had happened; silently praying that de Soto would find a ship leaving sooner rather than later. The sooner he left, the sooner they could get on with their lives.

As it was, a ship wasn't leaving for Spain until a month later, so de Soto returned to Los Angeles to stay until the day the ship he got passage on would leave. The charade would have to continue.

**End of Part 3**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: These characters are the property of Family Channel and New World Productions. For entertainment purposes only.

Special appreciation to my beta reader, Amy, for all her excellent suggestions.

**Fools Rush In**

**Part 4**

Three days later, Victoria, Alejandro, and Sebastian were having lunch in the tavern. Victoria could not come into the pueblo every day, but when she did, she did not hesitate to eat at the tavern. She quietly missed working there, but she wouldn't let anyone know. Mendoza was doing a splendid job. As she looked around the room, she noticed de Soto having lunch at one of the back tables. Dr. Hernandez was keeping him company.

They were just getting their lunches when Felipe entered the tavern and sat down next to Alejandro. Mendoza quickly came over, took his order, and returned to the kitchen to get it. They started to converse in a deep conversation. Mendoza brought Felipe's lunch and returned to his spot behind the counter and surveyed the room to make sure that everyone was well taken care of when he noticed the stranger standing in the doorway.

He was a tall man with a short but bushy beard and slightly long blond hair. He was wearing clothes that Mendoza had never seen before in his life. They were quite strange. He wore glasses and walked with a limp. He turned and headed towards Mendoza.

As he approached the counter, Mendoza stood up straight. "Buenos dias, Señor. Welcome to Los Angeles. May I help you?"

The stranger smiled. "Sí. Can you tell me where I might be able to find a Dr. Hernandez?" Mendoza noticed an accent that he didn't recognize.

As he said that, a silver haired man approached the stranger. "I'm Dr. Hernandez. How may I help you?" He reached to shake the stranger's hand. The stranger did likewise.

"I'm Salvador Guilleranz. I believe I will be assisting you for the next couple of months." Salvador bowed slightly.

"Ah, yes. Welcome. I have been looking forward to your arrival for some time now." Dr. Hernandez smiled.

As they were talking, Alejandro approached the two men and extended his hand to Señor Guilleranz. "Buenos dias, Señor. I'm the Alcalde of this pueblo and would like to welcome you." He smiled but gave no indication that he knew the man. "Our good doctor has needed an assistant for a long time now. I'm glad he has finally gotten one."

"I plan on helping in any way I can for the three months that I will be here, Señor Alcalde." Salvador smiled back at him, revealing a silver tooth, as he looked around the taproom. He noticed de Soto sitting there watching the whole conversation. He quickly looked away and found Victoria, but he didn't linger on her for long either.

"My name is Don Alejandro de la Vega and it would be my honor if you would come to my hacienda for dinner, along with Dr. Hernandez, tonight as my guest." Alejandro extended his invitation with a smile. This was all part of the plan, but he was still surprised at the appearance of his son. If he hadn't known better, he wouldn't have recognized him. He hoped that it worked.

"Gracias, Señor, I would be honored to accept your invitation. My name is Salvador Guilleranz." Salvador smiled.

Dr. Hernandez smiled. "Well I'm glad you now have somewhere to eat dinner. Won't you come have lunch with me and we can discuss your duties and then I will show you around our lovely pueblo."

"I would be delighted." Salvador bowed to Alejandro and followed Dr. Hernandez over to the table that he was sharing with de Soto. Alejandro watched him go, worrying about his encounter with de Soto that was about to happen. He returned to his seat ready to intervene in case anything went wrong.

Ignacio de Soto stood when Dr. Hernandez and his guest approached. "Señor de Soto, this is Salvador Guilleranz; he will be my assistant for the next three months. Señor de Soto used to be our alcalde, but he was promoted and went back to Spain. He is here on vacation."

"Pleased to meet you, Señor de Soto; I hope you have a nice vacation. Los Angeles seems to be a lovely pueblo. Much quainter than I'm used to." Salvador shook his hand and de Soto gestured for him to sit. He sat down next to Dr. Hernandez and across from de Soto.

"Likewise, Señor Guilleranz. So where do you come from?" De Soto couldn't quite get this feeling of familiarity to go away when he looked at Guilleranz. He would have to think about it some more.

"I'm originally from France, but I have been living in New York in the United States for the last five years. When I heard there was a need for a man of my expertise here in Los Angeles, I didn't hesitate to make myself available," Salvador answered eagerly. He noticed that de Soto was watching him carefully and suspiciously, so he was careful not to use any of his Diego mannerisms.

"And what is your expertise, Señor?" de Soto inquired of this interesting stranger to Los Angeles.

"New methods of childbirth," Salvador answered matter-of-factly. He saw the waitress coming with his food, turned towards her and expressed his thanks. He gladly started to eat.

But de Soto wasn't finished with his inquisition. "So how did you hear about this position all the way out in New York?"

Dr. Hernandez interjected, "I had written a friend of mine, who is a doctor back in New York, and asked him if he could spare one of his assistants for three months, and he agreed and sent me Señor Guilleranz."

At that, de Soto stopped talking and continued eating. After awhile, both Dr. Hernandez and Salvador made their way out of the tavern after saying their goodbyes. Dr. Hernandez would show him around the pueblo and his home before he brought him out to the de la Vegas for dinner. They would first stop at the Gomez place and check on Victoria.

A week passed and Salvador seemed to be settling into a routine. He would handle the less serious cases and assisted Dr. Hernandez whenever he was needed in the most serious ones. He was given the responsibility of checking on Victoria every two days. It gave them a chance to be together.

Whenever he was in town, de Soto made it a point to have lunch with him and Diego couldn't refuse or else it would look suspicious. De Soto oftentimes brought his arch-enemy into the conversation. Diego started to think that maybe de Soto was getting suspicious and trying to trick him into giving away his identity, but then he would say something that would cause de Soto to second-guess his suspicions again.

After awhile he stopped going into town to have lunch unless it was absolutely necessary for him to do so. The less he had to deal with de Soto, the better off they would be. He was getting frustrated as time went by and Alejandro could tell. He would take him into the cave to let Diego air out his frustrations. "It's not fair, Father. This is supposed to be a wonderful time for Victoria and me," Diego would yell, causing Toronado to back up in his stall at his master's anger.

"Diego, he's leaving in two weeks. He'll be gone and we'll be able to go back to normal." Don Alejandro tried to calm him down.

"I feel like I'm missing out on so much with her. I can't even hold her anymore in fear that de Soto will be watching. I can't even get a private moment with her. And then to see her being kissed by Jose in public is maddening. I know it's all for show, but that still doesn't help." He grabbed one of his tubes that he used for his experiments and threw it angrily at the wall. Don Alejandro flinched and grabbed Diego's arm to stop him from throwing something else. Diego glared at him.

"I know how you feel, but it will be all over soon and you'll have your Victoria back again. If you want, I will invite her and Sebastian to dinner and you can take her into the cave and have a private moment with each other." Alejandro tried to quell his anger.

"It will be no use. De Soto will probably find out about it, stop by innocently, and get himself invited. I think he's getting suspicious of me. I try to avoid him, but when I do have to entertain him at the tavern he never fails to bring up Zorro. He's trying to bait me." Diego turned away from his father.

"He's just being his normal self. He can't stand that he was wrong and now with this newcomer he wants to prove he's right. We will get through this. You'll see, before you know it, he'll be gone from our lives and you'll be holding your baby in your arms. I fully intend to have Victoria here at the hacienda when she gives birth, whether or not de Soto is gone. I'm going to offer it for her recovery if she happens to have it somewhere else, no matter what. And since you will be staying here for the few days before and after the birth to be at hand, then so be it." Alejandro can see that Diego is calming down and he smiles.

"Thank you, Father. I think this is all I needed to do." Diego patted his back and smiled.

"Sometimes a man needs to yell and scream just to feel better. I think I'm going to enjoy this cave from time to time because Mendoza can try a man's patience every once in awhile." He started to laugh and Diego couldn't help but join in his father's laughter.

"Yes, the cave can be a great place to release your frustrations. Lord knows, I used it a lot as Zorro if Felipe wasn't around. If Toronado could talk, he would tell you how much he wanted to kill me for disturbing his sleep or, even worse, his meal." Diego chuckled and Alejandro laughed as they left the cave.

As time went by, Diego kept his anger in check and tried to avoid de Soto as much as possible. The more he talked to him, the angrier he got and was close to giving his identity away, so the only possible out was to totally avoid him. Alejandro kept up with his promise and from time to time would invite Victoria and Sebastian to the hacienda. Even though Diego thought it risky, he didn't hesitate to take Victoria into the cave to have some quality time alone with her. She enjoyed it just as much as he did.

Z Z Z Z Z Z

Ignacio de Soto was strolling through the plaza on this beautiful warm day. In a few days, he would head off to San Pedro to wait for the ship to come in that he was getting passage on. He was done with Los Angeles. His hopes of finding Diego alive were squashed. His friend was wrong. He headed off to the tavern for lunch. As he was crossing the plaza to enter the tavern, he noticed the young doctor's assistant, Salvador Guilleranz, talking with Alejandro de la Vega by the entrance to the church. He tried to be nice to the newcomer, but it seemed the man was trying to avoid him. Whenever he entered the tavern, Guilleranz would come up with some excuse and leave immediately. It was as if he was deliberately avoiding de Soto and he couldn't figure out why. He shook his head and entered the tavern.

He approached the bar, ordered lunch from the barmaid, and looked around to find a seat. He saw Sebastian Gomez sitting by himself and went over to sit down with him. He politely bowed and inquired, "May I sit with you, Señor?"

"By all means, Señor de Soto," Sebastian politely smiled and gestured for de Soto to sit. He was told by the de la Vegas to be cordial to the former alcalde at all times.

"It is a gorgeous day out today," de Soto said as the waitress placed his lunch before him. He nodded his thanks and she walked away.

"Yes it is," Sebastian answered.

"Where is your lovely wife today?" de Soto asked as he took a drink from his cup.

"She was here, but she wasn't feeling well so she went upstairs to lie down," Sebastian said as he pointed upstairs.

"Ah! I hope she's okay." De Soto nodded in greeting to some of the caballeros as they passed by on their way out of the tavern.

"She'll be fine. We stopped here for lunch on our way to the de la Vega hacienda." Sebastian was getting nervous around de Soto. This was his first time alone with the man. Alejandro or Victoria closely supervised all the other encounters. He didn't want to mess up when they were so close.

"Oh, are you going to visit with Alejandro?" de Soto asked as he cocked his eyebrow.

"No. Alejandro offered us one of his guest rooms. He and Dr. Hernandez felt that Victoria will be more comfortable there until the baby is born. Our place leaves much to be desired," Sebastian answered.

"Ah! I see. Well, that was kind of him," de Soto said as he took a bite of his lunch.

"Yes, Alejandro treats us kindly. He almost became her father-in-law once as I was told." Sebastian took a drink from his cup to hide his nervousness.

"Yes, she did, but he was killed. Did you know Diego?" de Soto questioned. He could see that Sebastian was nervous, but didn't know why.

"No, unfortunately he was killed before I came to work there, but I hear that he was a very kind man," he smiled.

"Yes he was kind, but he was also an outlaw and if he hadn't been killed by that bandit, he would have surely hung." De Soto started to laugh.

"How can you be so unkind? I heard he was Alejandro's only son. He was devastated. So was Victoria." Sebastian was starting to get angry at de Soto. He knew how much Victoria and Diego loved each other and he had heard plenty about Zorro where he came from. He had heard that Zorro was a hero.

"I'm just speaking the truth. You have the same kind of fiery temper like your little lady has," he sneered.

"Victoria has no temper. She is a kind, sweet lady and I ask you to take that back, Señor." Sebastian glared at de Soto.

De Soto cocked his eyebrow in suspicion as he stood to answer to his charges when Felipe and Alejandro walked into the tavern. Alejandro noticed the two men staring at each other and that Sebastian was angry. He quickly walked over to inquire what was going on.

"Sebastian, what is the matter?" Alejandro asked him as he stared at de Soto.

"This man insulted the memory of your son and Victoria," Sebastian snarled as he pointed at de Soto.

"I did no such thing. I only stated a well-known fact." De Soto looked at Alejandro then sat back down to enjoy his lunch.

"I'm sure that you didn't mean to insult my son, but I'm sure that you did inadvertently," Alejandro said. He turned to Sebastian. "Sebastian, calm down. No point getting your ire up over him. Where is Victoria?" he asked trying to change the subject.

"She's upstairs taking a nap," he answered without taking his eyes off de Soto. Now he knew why not everyone liked this man. He was insufferable. He couldn't wait until he left.

"Let's calm down and sit and have lunch. Felipe and I are famished." Alejandro guided Sebastian over to another table to eat and left de Soto to eat alone. A man can say too much in a fit of anger and he was afraid that Sebastian might give their charade away without knowing it.

Just then, Salvador came into the tavern looking for Sebastian and Victoria. He had gone to their home to check on Victoria, but they weren't there. As he entered, he saw Sebastian and started for his table.

"Sebastian! There you are. I went to your home to check on your wife. I'm glad I found you. How is Señora Gomez?" he asked as he approached Sebastian's table. He nodded politely to de Soto and the de la Vegas. He didn't notice the angry glare that Sebastian was sending de Soto's way.

"Victoria is upstairs resting. She wasn't feeling well so she went to lie down." Sebastian shook his hand in greeting.

Salvador frowned. "Maybe I'll go up and check on her. She is close to her due date. She shouldn't even be out."

"We were on our way to the de la Vega's hacienda, since that is where she will give birth. I promise you this will be her last outing," Sebastian explained.

"Excellent. Don Alejandro and the doctor agree that I will be staying in the guest room so I can be nearby when she goes into labor," Salvador informed him.

As Sebastian nodded his head in understanding, they were interrupted by a shrill scream. Salvador turned and, realizing it was coming from upstairs, started climbing the stairs two at a time. Sebastian followed.

They reached the door simultaneously, entered the room to find Victoria standing by the window, and visibly scared as she was staring at the puddle at her feet. Diego reached her and helped her over to the bed. He turned to Sebastian and told him, "She's in labor. Go get more pillows and blankets." Sebastian left to carry out his request.

Diego went to the railing and looked down into the taproom. He saw Felipe talking to Alejandro. He yelled down, "Don Felipe, could you go get Dr. Hernandez? Tell him that Señora Gomez is in labor."

Felipe looked up and said, "Right away, Señor." He left.

Pilar was heading up the stairs to assist in any way that she could. She approached Salvador and said, "Señor Guilleranz, what can I do?"

He looked at her and directed her to go get water and towels. She ran back downstairs to carry out his orders. He returned to Victoria.

Victoria was curled up in pain as he came back in. "This is so painful," she screamed. "Why were we meant to have babies? Men are much stronger; _you s_hould be having it."

Diego approached the bed and sat down on the edge. He took her hands in his. "Mí preciosa, calm down. It won't be as bad as you think. Yes, it's painful, but when you hold your precious little one you will forget all the pain," Diego told her as he chuckled.

"Salvador, you have to be careful with what you say to me. De Soto could walk in on us right now and hear. How would we explain you calling me 'your preciosa'?" Victoria said as another pain hit her and she closed her eyes.

"Breathe deeply. Don't worry about de Soto. My father will keep him downstairs. If he does come upstairs, I will throw him over the railing before I will let him anywhere near you," Diego promised.

Victoria started to laugh before another pain hit her and she curled up in pain again. Sebastian then walked in with the blankets and pillows with Pilar right behind him. Salvador directed Sebastian in where the pillows should go and took the water from Pilar. He dipped a rag into the water and started to wipe Victoria's brow with it. Pilar shooed Sebastian out of the room and told him to wait downstairs. She will come and get him when he was needed. He left, promising to be nearby if they needed anything.

Sebastian walked downstairs wringing his hands. He was acting the part of nervous father-to-be perfectly, thought Alejandro. He approached Sebastian and said, "Come have a drink. You look like you need it. In a few hours you will be a father and that calls for a drink."

Sebastian smiled. "Thank you, Don Alejandro, I would love one."

"How is she?" Alejandro asked.

"She's in pain. I'm worried. Maybe we shouldn't have stopped here. I don't know much about these things," Sebastian said as he sat down and placed his head in his hands.

"Don't worry, my friend. The first one is always nerve wracking. I'm sure that if I were present at my son's birth, then I would have been pacing the floor. Then again if I were present, I wouldn't have lost Gilberto," Alejandro said as he bowed his head in regret over losing his other son. "You may be nervous now, but when you hold your baby for the first time you will forget your nervousness soon enough. They are such a joy to be around. I know. Diego was a handful, but he was a joy. I miss him terribly." A tear rolled down Alejandro's face when he finished. Mendoza, who was standing next to him, patted him on the back.

"We all miss him, Don Alejandro," Mendoza said with tears in his eyes. De Soto rolled his eyes in exasperation over the display of emotion he was forced to endure.

Alejandro nodded his appreciation to Mendoza as Felipe came back into the tavern with Dr. Hernandez right behind him. The doctor headed for the stairs. He entered the room to find Salvador sitting by the bed wiping Victoria's brow with a rag, whispering endearments to her as she suffered another bout of pain. As the doctor placed his bag down, Diego helped her sit up so he could give her a nice strong back rub to ease her discomfort.

"How is she doing?" Dr. Hernandez asked as he approached and started to examine Victoria.

"She's in pain, but she is doing fine." Salvador stood up to allow Dr. Hernandez to examine her extensively. "I got the blankets and water. What else do we need?" He started to pace the room.

"I think you took care of everything." Dr. Hernandez smiled at his nervous assistant. "Hand me that glass of water."

Salvador looked around and saw a glass of water on the table. He grabbed it and went to hand it to Dr. Hernandez, but turned too quickly and stumbled and the glass spilled some of its contents all over Victoria and the doctor. Victoria glared at him in horror. He grabbed one of the rags and started to clean it up, but inadvertently tipped the rest of the glass all over her again. Victoria reached up to take the glass away from him, but before she could yell at him, she had a contraction, grabbed his hand, and squeezed very hard. He gasped in pain.

When she stopped and let him go, he rubbed his hand and glared at her, "Is that your way of getting back at me for spilling the water on you?"

Victoria chuckled, "Maybe it was, and maybe it wasn't." She smiled to put him at ease.

"Salvador, why don't you wait downstairs?" Dr. Hernandez interrupted their glares. "I don't need you right now. Pilar can take care of her for now. I will call you when I need you and that won't be until she's close to giving birth. I will be downstairs for a cup of coffee in a little while."

"Of course, Doctor," Salvador said as he reluctantly left the room. He slowly descended the stairs and was instantly approached by Sebastian.

"How is she?" Sebastian questioned him as Salvador sat down at one of the tables.

"She is fine." Salvador smiled at Sebastian's excellent acting skills. He was most impressed by the young man. "The doctor says it may be a few hours. He'll be down in a little while."

"Is there anything I can do?" Mendoza approached Salvador.

"Yes, could you put a pot of coffee on the fire? We're going to need it. And make something for Victoria to eat." Mendoza left to put the coffee on per Salvador's instructions.

After about an hour, Dr. Hernandez descended the stairs and joined the rest at the table. He sighed.

"How is she, Dr. Hernandez?" Alejandro asked.

"She's hanging in there. ……..Pilar is with her. I would say that by this evening she will be a mother," he smiled.

Mendoza came out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee for the doctor. He placed it in front of the doctor and stepped away. "Gracias, Mendoza. That was kind of you."

"Señor Guilleranz told me that you would want a cup when you came down," Mendoza said as he left to take care of another customer.

Dr. Hernandez looked at Salvador and thanked him. Salvador nodded.

"Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm not sitting around waiting for a woman to give birth. It's not my cup of tea." De Soto rose from his seat, bowed, and left the tavern. Salvador rolled his eyes.

"Well, now we can act normal," Alejandro said as he turned to Salvador. "How are you, my son?"

"I'm as well as can be expected. Let's see; I spilled water all over Victoria and she squeezed the life out of my left hand," he said as he rubbed his hand again. Felipe chuckled. Diego glared at him.

"Don't worry, Diego. Do you know how many black and blue marks that my wife gave me during the birth of my children? Too many to count," Dr. Hernandez chuckled as Diego shook his head.

"Does it get any better?" Diego asked.

"No. Woman always blame the men at this time because without them they would not have to go through this pain. Therefore, they hate you while they are in labor, but afterwards they are thanking you for giving them this precious bundle. Victoria will be no different," Dr. Hernandez answered. "Just enjoy it."

"Thank you, Doctor," Diego patted him on the back in gratitude.

As Dr. Hernandez got up to return to his patient, Mendoza came out of the kitchen with a tray and approached the doctor. "I made this for the Señora; can she eat?" he smiled.

"Of course; I'll bring it up to her. Gracias." Dr. Hernandez took the tray, ascended the stairs, and disappeared behind the door.

Hours passed by as they all waited for word. Alejandro had to make Salvador sit down many times. He was pacing so much that he was making everyone dizzy. Alejandro was grateful that de Soto had left the tavern, because if he were there, he would question why Salvador was more nervous than Sebastian was. However, eventually de Soto did return and Salvador quickly returned to being the calm and cool doctor's assistant waiting to be helpful when needed. Alejandro was still amazed at how quickly Diego could change in front of him. He guessed that is why he was fooled by him during his time as Zorro. He shook his head.

Alejandro watched his son while they waited. He was happy. He knew how his son was feeling. He felt the same way when his son was born. If he had known he had two sons, then he would have been even more ecstatic. He also noticed that his son's dark hair was starting to show up underneath the blond coloring. He would have to mention it to him as soon as possible.

De Soto wanted to break the silence. "She hasn't had the baby yet. What's taking so long? I would like to lie down, but don't want to be disturbed by a wailing woman," he sneered.

Salvador turned towards him with anger in his eyes. "How can you be so selfish? How can you be so unkind to Señor Gomez? His wife is upstairs going through a very difficult time. Giving birth is no easy picnic, Señor. A woman can die no matter how strong she is. Just ask Señor de la Vega," he glared at him. "Señor Gomez has been nothing but kind to you, even though you were putting his wife through hell by dredging up her memories of a man who is dead." He turned and stormed out of the tavern.

De Soto just stared back at him and watched him go as he left the tavern. He was shocked at the emotion that came from the young Guilleranz. Who was this man? Why was he so angry? De Soto would have expected that kind of outburst from de la Vega, not from him. He cocked his eyebrow and went to the back of the tavern to sit down. He didn't think that anybody wanted him to sit with them.

Dr. Hernandez came out to the railing and surveyed the room downstairs. He eyed Felipe and asked him, "Where is Señor Guilleranz? Could you go find him? It is time and I need him." Felipe ran out the door to find Salvador.

He found him inside of the church talking to Padre Benitez. He ran up to them and informed him that Dr. Hernandez wanted him. They bid farewell to the padre and left the church.

Salvador entered the room just as Dr. Hernandez asked Victoria to push. She pushed with all her might as Salvador came beside her. When she finished he asked, "What can I do?"

"Make sure she's comfortable and keep her doing her deep breathing," Dr. Hernandez instructed.

As the minutes passed, which to Diego felt like hours, he caressed her hand and back and helped her get through the next push. She was nearly exhausted and didn't want to push anymore when the doctor told her to push one more time. She did and soon heard the wailing of a baby. She smiled up at Diego and waited.

After a few excruciating seconds, the doctor pronounced, "It's a boy." Victoria squealed in delight and Diego smiled down at her. They hugged.

Dr. Hernandez finished checking the baby, wrapped it up in a blanket, and handed him off to Diego who brought him over to Victoria and placed him into his mother's arms. She smiled down on her baby and started to cry. Diego wiped away her tears and kissed her on the forehead.

"Diego, why don't you take the baby and hold him over there," he pointed to the rocking chair in the corner, "while I finish up with Victoria. Then when I'm done, you can go and inform the rest. Just use this time to get acquainted with your son."

"Thank you, Doctor, I will," he said as he took the baby from Victoria and sat down. The doctor started to work on Victoria as she wearily smiled over at her child and his father.

"Hello, little one," Diego said to the child in his arms. "How are you? Welcome to the world. I'm your father and I'm going to take very good care of you. I will protect you from all harm. I love you." He kissed the baby on his forehead and smiled up at Victoria.

After a few minutes, Dr. Hernandez looked over at Diego and smiled. He didn't want to break up the father and son moment, but he had to. "Salvador, why don't you go and inform Sebastian of the birth of his son?"

Salvador handed the baby over to Victoria and turned to leave, but the doctor stopped him. "Wait, what is his name?"

Diego looked at Victoria. "His name will be Alfonso Alejandro Sebastian de la Vega, but for de Soto's sake it will be Alfonso Sebastian Gomez," she told them. They smiled at each other and Diego leaned down and kissed her. Then he left the room.

Sebastian got up when he saw Salvador descending the stairs. "How is she?" he asked, as Salvador got closer.

He smiled at Sebastian and informed him, "It's a boy. You have a son, Señor. Congratulations." He patted Sebastian on the back and walked over to the counter to get a glass of lemonade. Sebastian ran upstairs to see to "his" wife and son.

Alejandro walked over to Salvador and congratulated him on his fine job of bringing the baby into this world. He knew how this was upsetting his son. To see someone else getting overjoyed over the birth of his son when it should be him was heartbreaking. He whispered to him, "Don't worry. De Soto will be leaving in a few days and you will have your son all to yourself." Salvador nodded and walked out the door.

Felipe watched him leave and waited a few minutes before following him out the door. He didn't want de Soto to think he was going with him. He knew where Diego was going and wanted to be there for him.

Felipe found him exactly where he thought he would be – grooming Toronado in the cave. He smiled.

"Are you okay, Diego?" he asked as he approached his brother.

"Yes, I'm just jealous, that's all." Diego put down the brush and placed his hand on Felipe's shoulder in gratitude. "Thanks for coming after me, but I'm okay. I just needed to be alone."

"I also think you need to talk. I know how you feel. I have a nephew and I can't even acknowledge that until de Soto leaves." Felipe sighs.

"You know me better than I know myself." Diego smiled and gave him a hug.

They talked for hours. They talked about the baby, de Soto, and about life in general. Alejandro came in and found them sitting and laughing. They told him they were talking about old times. Alejandro told them he had seen the baby and was overjoyed. His grandson is very handsome. Victoria is doing fine and he is proud of Diego. They hugged. All they had to do now was to wait for de Soto to leave town and then they could get on with their lives.

De Soto was sitting in the tavern just finishing his drink before he would head up to bed when he saw Sebastian coming down the stairs. He watched him as he waved goodbye to Mendoza and left the tavern. De Soto cocked his eyebrow. Interesting, he thought, why would he not have stayed at the tavern to be near his wife and son? He didn't know what to think of their relationship. No love there, he laughed. He recalled Sebastian's claim that Victoria was sweet-tempered. He might have been merely protecting his wife, but he had seemed so sincere that de Soto found himself wondering how well the man knew her. Despite the apparent affection between them, there was something not quite right about that marriage. Why should he be bothered by an insignificant marriage of two people who meant nothing to him? However, he couldn't shake this feeling that they were all hiding something from him.

**End of Part 4**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: These characters are the property of Family Channel and New World Productions. For entertainment purposes only.

A Very special thank you to my beta reader, Amy. Thanks for all your help in helping me finish this story.

**Fools Rush In**

**Part 5**

The sun was beating down on the pueblo of Los Angeles as Dr. Hernandez and his assistant approached the tavern to look in on their patient and her new baby boy. They were going to let Victoria know that she could return home. Dr. Hernandez was pleased that Alejandro offered his hacienda for her recovery. She would be more comfortable in the hacienda instead of the tavern or at the home she supposedly shared with her husband. Diego got down from the carriage and looked around the plaza as the carriage pulled away after Dr. Hernandez stepped down. His eyes met with de Soto who was standing by the cuartel. They nodded politely to each other and Diego then followed Dr. Hernandez into the tavern.

They walked into the tavern and headed for the stairs. Diego noticed the vaquero who was pretending to be Victoria's husband, Sebastian, sitting at one of the tables and nodded to him. Sebastian nodded back. Diego smiled as he thought that he would have to remind his father to pay him handsomely for doing this for them. If de Soto left without any fuss, then they would owe their lives to him.

As they reached the door to Victoria's room, they knocked softly and heard Victoria's soft "Come in." They entered to find her sitting up in her chair, fully dressed, and waiting to go home. Diego had to chuckle. Leave it to Victoria to be impatient, he thought. He looked over, saw the baby cooing away in his bassinet, and went over to check on the baby as Dr. Hernandez checked Victoria. "Well, Señora, you are fit to go home." Victoria smiled her thanks as Dr. Hernandez then turned to see about the baby.

Diego had Alfonso already in his arms and was playing with him as Dr. Hernandez approached him. "How is the little one?"

"Oh, he is just fine. I think he is also able to go home. What do you think?" Diego placed the baby into Dr. Hernandez's arms to have the doctor look him over.

"Yes, he is also able to." Dr. Hernandez smiled down at the baby as he placed him into the waiting arms of his mother.

"Thank you, Doctor. I can't wait to go home." She smiled up at him.

"De Nada, Señora." Dr. Hernandez turned to Diego and said, "Salvador, make sure they have everything they need at home before you come back to the office." Dr. Hernandez knew that it was just a way for Diego to be with his wife and child at the hacienda without arousing suspicion from de Soto.

"Yes, I will accompany them back to the de la Vega hacienda," Diego replied for the benefit of any curious listeners in the hall. "It was very kind of Señor de la Vega to offer the use of one of his guest rooms to the señora. It will be more comfortable than where they live now until she is fully recovered." He looked over at Victoria who smiled back at him. He couldn't wait for some alone time with her and the baby.

Felipe had come into town to get some supplies for the hacienda and when he was done, he took his horse over to the watering trough that was close to where de Soto was standing. He stood there watching all the comings and goings in the plaza and noticed Victoria and the baby leaving the tavern.

Ignacio de Soto watched as Victoria came out of the tavern followed by her husband, Sebastian. De Soto had come to know Sebastian in the last few weeks and he couldn't help thinking that he was nowhere near the kind of man that Victoria would have married. He didn't see any spark between them. He wondered if Victoria had just fallen for the first man to come along and not given any thought to the matter. He noticed that Sebastian was a doting husband to her as he ran to get the carriage that they had waiting. However, when it came time for her to get into the carriage, she had handed the baby off to Salvador Guilleranz, the doctor's assistant, even though her husband was standing there. Why? He noticed the looks between the assistant and Victoria and thought, _now that is the look she should be getting from her husband, not from Señor Guilleranz_.

Then the realization hit Ignacio like a ton of bricks. Could it be? He couldn't believe what he was thinking. He looked again at Guilleranz, but differently, as if he were looking beyond the beard and clothes and putting different clothes, changing his hair color, and shaving off the beard. He knew it, beyond a doubt. "De la Vega," he said out loud with a sneer and started to walk toward the carriage.

Felipe, who had been standing there watching the scene, looked over at de Soto with alarm. He didn't know how he had done it, but de Soto had figured out that Salvador was Diego. He could run over and warn Diego, but then maybe Diego could convince de Soto that he was wrong, so he stood back and prayed. Then he thought of Alejandro and Diego's sword. He jumped onto his horse and guided him out of the plaza at a very high trot. He rode like the wind to get back to the hacienda as fast as he could. He reached the hacienda, jumped off his horse, and ran into the house. He found Alejandro in the library. Alejandro noticed the worried look on Felipe's face before he could say anything. Felipe ran over to the fireplace, opened the secret door, and ran in. Alejandro knew where that led, but didn't know why Felipe was in a rush to get there. As he was about to go in after him, Felipe came running back out with Zorro's sword in his hand. "What is going on, Felipe? Why do you have Zorro's sword?"

Felipe started to tell Alejandro all about what was happening in the plaza. "De Soto knows that Salvador is Diego, how?" Alejandro said as they started for the door. Felipe said that he didn't know, but he wanted to get Diego's sword just in case. "Yes, yes, go; get there as soon as possible. I'll meet you there."

Felipe jumped back on his horse and rode back to the pueblo. He hoped he could get back to Diego in time.

De Soto reached the side of Victoria's carriage as she was getting into it. She smiled at de Soto, trying to be as cordial as possible, when he approached the group. "Ah, Señora, I see that you are finally able to go home," de Soto spat out.

Victoria looked at him. "Yes, Don Alejandro has been kind to let me continue my recovery at his hacienda. Sebastian and I were just leaving to go there."

"Yes, I can see. And your little one looks quite content in his _father's_ arms, don't you think?" De Soto looked at Salvador intently.

"What do you mean by that, Señor?" Salvador glared at him and then handed the baby back to Victoria.

"What I mean is that I have been watching you and I noticed the looks you two gave each other and they weren't looks of a doctor and his patient. They were looks of lovers. No, Señor, I know exactly who you are," de Soto spat back.

"And who exactly am I?" Salvador shot back, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Felipe enter the plaza carrying a very recognizable sword. He calmly turned back to stare at de Soto.

"You are Diego de la Vega," de Soto said as he reached up and tore the fake beard off Diego's face. He grinned as he saw the shock in Diego's eyes, looked around, and saw fear in Victoria's. He turned back to Diego and saw him taking off all the parts of his disguise. He started to laugh.

"You almost had me fooled, but I wasn't going to be fooled this time. Now you are going to die and I will make sure that you do this time," de Soto snarled as he unsheathed his sword. He got ready to attack and reveled in the fact that it would be easy, because Diego was unarmed.

He was about to attack when he saw Diego looking up and reaching for something. De Soto looked up to see a very well-known sword flying through the air. He growled and attacked, but Diego grabbed the sword and blocked the blow just as it was about to connect with him. He looked over at de Soto with a grin and saw the shock on de Soto's face.

The two circled each other slowly. De Soto was trying to gauge his opponent's weaknesses, but unfortunately finding none. He felt confident that he could beat Zorro, after the training he'd had in Spain over the last year. He just had to be patient and wait for Diego to make a mistake.

Diego glanced over at the carriage, where Victoria watched nervously. De Soto seized the moment of distraction and lunged, but Diego parried in time.

Meanwhile, Jose "Sebastian" took the carriage out of the way so they could watch the fight from a safe distance. Victoria watched with fear in her eyes. De Soto was fighting more skillfully than in the past, but it wasn't this that worried her. She knew that Diego would never kill his opponent, so what use was defeating him today? The former alcalde would just go to Santa Barbara and bring back soldiers to arrest Diego.

Alejandro, who had just arrived in the plaza, came up beside her and put his arm around her to protect and comfort her. Felipe also came over to stand beside them.

Diego noticed his family watching and thanked God that Jose had thought to remove them from danger. He also noticed that lancers were now surrounding them as they fought. He grinned.

"Well, Ignacio, have you been learning new moves or were you holding back on me all those years?" Diego taunted him as he parried another attack from de Soto.

"I knew that I would be fighting you, so while I was waiting for a ship, I went and trained under a master swordsman in Madrid until the day that I sailed for California," de Soto countered.

"Ah, so you are going to make this challenging. I like a good challenge," Diego said with a confident smile.

"Don't worry. I will kill you and after that, I will have Felipe hanged for helping you. Maybe your whole family." De Soto couldn't quite hide the smirk on his face after seeing the reaction in Diego's face.

"You will leave my family alone. It's me that you want; leave them out of this," Diego angrily snapped back. Up until now, he had been parrying all of de Soto's attacks, but he now began to fight in earnest. He lunged at de Soto and fluidly, with a flick of his wrist, quickly disarmed him. Diego stepped aside and allowed de Soto to get his sword and continue the fight.

"If they had anything to do with your death and resurrection, then I can do what I want. I spared Felipe the first time out of kindness, but I won't this time. He is an accomplice and should be punished for his crimes," de Soto snarled.

This was Diego's greatest fear—that his family would pay for his decision to become Zorro. He knew that apart from killing de Soto, his only hope was to persuade the former alcalde to give up his quest for vengeance.

"They knew nothing of my plans and neither did Felipe. I worked alone. You will leave them alone and I won't ask you again." Diego sliced down at de Soto's arm hoping to catch him off balance, but Ignacio skillfully blocked the blow and grinned as they circled each other. "Ah, you have improved since I faced you last. Usually that always worked; very well done, Ignacio. I'm impressed."

"I'm glad that you approve, Diego. I always look forward to your approval in everything I do," de Soto sarcastically replied as he went to attack, but Diego parried easily yet again.

"And I always enjoyed correcting your mistakes, Ignacio. This is one of them." Diego smiled at Victoria as she came into view behind Ignacio, but she was too afraid to smile back. Diego sighed. He hated to see her like that. If he had any hope of sparing her any more pain, he had to end this now.

"No, Diego, this was no mistake. I came back to bring Zorro to justice and that is what I plan on doing. My only mistake was falling for that trick and going to Santa Barbara in hopes of capturing you outside of the boundaries of Los Angeles, where not even your father or the people could protect you," de Soto answered angrily. "All I want is to see you hang."

"Well, in order to see me hang, you are going to have to capture me first and I don't think these good people will allow that." And to emphasize what Diego was saying, the people watching started to grab whatever they could to use as weapons and started to wave them in the air at de Soto. Diego grinned as he looked around at the people. "And the lancers will only take orders from the alcalde and since that is my father, you can't count on them."

De Soto looked around him at all the people and knew he was outnumbered. "Then I will just have to kill you."

"These people would kill you after you did that. Do you really want to take that chance? We both lose then. What good will your revenge be if you can't bask in it afterwards?" Diego stopped fighting, pointed his sword towards the ground, and stood there.

"I would die happily knowing that you were dead also." De Soto lunged at Diego, but Diego brought his sword back up and parried the attack, then stepped back and lowered his sword again.

"That won't happen; I already know that you can't kill me, and I would prefer not to have to kill you. So why don't we agree to end this now?" Diego brought the sword up to rest on his shoulder in a very Zorro-like fashion and stared at de Soto.

"I can't leave here, humiliated, without getting what I came here for," de Soto practically shouted.

"And what did you come here for, Ignacio?" Diego asked.

"I came here for revenge and I want it," de Soto stated as he took another swing at Diego, but Diego parried it easily and again rested the sword on his shoulder.

"Revenge on whom, Ignacio?" Diego angrily stared at him. He was getting annoyed with this revenge business of de Soto's. He wanted to end this fight now and go home to be with his wife and son.

"On Zorro, that's who." How many times did he have to say that? Would Diego ever learn? This absurd talking was tiring him out more than the fight was.

While the fight was going on, a lancer approached Alejandro and handed him a rolled-up parchment. He told him it was delivered to his office earlier in the day. Alejandro nodded to the lancer as he left to return to his post. Alejandro unrolled the parchment and read the document, then looked up to stare at the combatants.

"Ignacio, let's end this now," Diego said, exasperated.

"That is what I intend to do." De Soto grinned as he took another swing at Diego hoping to catch him off guard since he didn't appear to be engaging in the fight anymore. But he was surprised yet again when Diego easily parried his attack and went on the offensive again.

"No! Let's end it peacefully. We could fight for as long as we want until one of us is dead. And personally, I don't want to kill you." Diego stepped out of the way of one of de Soto's clumsy lunges and swatted him on the behind with his sword, which only made de Soto angrier.

"Who says that it will be my death that will end it?" de Soto said through gritted teeth.

Diego ignored this remark and started to circle again, not to get a better advantage, but to rest. He hadn't dueled in a very long time and he realized that he was getting tired. At least he was wearing his opponent down; de Soto was tired too, though he tried to hide it.

"Why are you doing this?" Diego blocked another blow from Ignacio. "You got what you wished for; why don't you give this up?"

"I got nothing of the sort. I want you dead," de Soto said as he lunged at Diego once more only to be thwarted again. How did he do that? He wanted to scream. He needed to stay calm if he wanted to succeed.

"You got your promotion, returned to Spain a hero, and you no longer are here in this dust ball of a pueblo. Isn't that what you had wanted since you came here?" Diego countered, lowering his sword.

"You're still alive, so I didn't get anything." De Soto decided to follow Diego's lead and wait for an opportunity. He holds his sword at his side also.

Diego felt exasperated. He brought his hand to his forehead and pushed his hand through his hair in frustration. "_Wake up_, _Ignacio_. I'm alive, yes, but _Zorro_ is dead."

"_What?_" Ignacio stared back at Diego.

"Why can't you accept it? Zorro is dead. We both got what we wanted," Diego yelled at him.

"And what was it you wanted?" De Soto couldn't believe his ears; was Diego making a point or was he also tired of this fight?

"A normal life, Victoria, and children - that is all I wanted. So I killed Zorro in order to get it. Why can't you just leave Los Angeles and let him remain dead?" Diego answered as he calmed down. He glanced over at Victoria and noticed the smile on her face.

"That's all?" De Soto cocked his eyebrow.

"Yes, that's all. Let's stop this nonsense. Neither of us is going to win if we continue. We will both lose. Let's end this once and for all." Diego stared at de Soto trying to gauge his reaction to see if he was getting through to the stubborn man. He hoped he was.

"Zorro is dead?" Ignacio finally blurted out after thinking on what Diego said.

"Yes, Ignacio, Zorro is dead. Isn't that how you got your promotion and got to go back to your beloved Madrid? Go back and live the life that you want and leave me here to live the life that I want with Victoria and my son." Diego took a step closer to his opponent.

"Yes, Zorro's death did get me out of Los Angeles and back to Madrid." Ignacio didn't flinch or move when he noticed Diego coming closer. He was considering Diego's words with interest.

"Then do we have an agreement?" Diego asked, holding out his hand to Ignacio.

"Zorro remains dead?" Ignacio asks again before he agrees to anything.

Diego nods his head. "Zorro remains dead."

Ignacio re-sheathed his sword and shook Diego's hand. "Then we have an agreement."

The crowd went wild. They cheered as the former adversaries shook hands.

Diego looked over at Victoria and noticed her smiling. He was relieved that this was over and in a peaceful manner.

"Thank you, Ignacio. We have an agreement." Diego released de Soto's hand and handed his sword to a smiling Felipe to be re-sheathed.

"Good luck with your son. I do have to admit he is a beautiful baby, must take after his mother." He turned towards Victoria and bowed. He turned back to Diego. "Buenos dias, Señor. But mark my words: if I hear that Zorro has been seen, I will return."

Suddenly Alejandro started to walk towards the former combatants. "That won't be necessary, Señor."

"Excuse me, Alcalde." Ignacio turned to face Alejandro as he finally reached them holding the rolled-up parchment in his hand.

"I just received this document today." Alejandro held up the parchment for all to see then handed it to Diego. Diego started to unroll it as Alejandro let everyone know what it was. "Zorro has been pardoned. He is no longer wanted by Spain, so you can no longer touch him. So if I want to ask him for his services, I can do so."

"Well then, I guess I won't ever have to come back here again. I guess you win, Diego," de Soto spat disgustedly.

"No, Ignacio; we both win," Diego said as he extended his hand out to de Soto again.

Ignacio turned to Diego and nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps you are right." He slowly reached out to shake Diego's hand. "Congratulations, Señor Zorro. Adios."

"Adios, Ignacio." Diego watched de Soto go into the tavern to retrieve his things. He turned to look at the parchment again, not believing his eyes.

"Father, I…" For a man who was so good with words, he was speechless. "I don't know what to say. How?"

"A few months back, long before this all happened, I wrote to the governor and the king, requesting a pardon," Alejandro explained. "I always knew in the back of my mind that eventually de Soto would return. I doubted we could keep this a secret for long, so I wanted to be ready in case he did return."

"How can I ever thank you?" Diego asked as he hugged his father.

"By going over there and giving your wife a huge kiss and being the best father that you can be to my grandson," Alejandro chuckled.

"It will be my utmost pleasure," Diego grinned as he started to walk towards Victoria. Victoria ran towards her husband, and jumped into his waiting arms. He twirled her around and kissed her.

Jose came up to them carrying Alfonso. He handed the baby to Victoria who smiled at him.

"Jose, I want to thank you for all your help these past few weeks. You kept my wife safe and did a fine job." Diego held out his hand to Jose.

"You are most welcome, Señor. I was more than happy to oblige," he said as he shook Diego's hand.

"I will make sure that you are handsomely rewarded for your excellent work," Diego told him as Jose turned and went back to the carriage to wait to take the de la Vegas back to the hacienda.

Diego turned, kissed Victoria once more, and then went over to the fountain and stood on the edge so that he could see over everyone's heads. "My dear friends, I want to especially thank you for all your hard work. Without your help, I don't think we could have done this. I always knew that if we all worked together, we could make miracles happen." Everyone started to cheer and call out his name.

He raised his arms to quiet the crowd. "I just want to let you know that I am going to be taking my family home now. However, in a week's time, I want to invite you all to a big fiesta here in the plaza to celebrate. Spread the word." He smiled as the crowd went wild with excitement.

He stepped down and went over to rejoin his family. "Diego!" Victoria exclaimed.

"I thought a celebration was in order," he grinned as he gathered her and the baby up in his arms and carried them over to the carriage. Victoria blushed in embarrassment, but didn't care that he was making a spectacle of himself. "Now, mí preciosa, it's time that we got you back to the hacienda for you to recover so that you can join in on the celebration."

She smiled up at him just as Alfonso started to cry. "Yes, it is and it's also time that I feed your son."

As they rode out of town, Diego looked off to the side and saw de Soto riding away towards San Pedro. He was relieved that this conflict had ended peacefully. He wondered as they rode towards home if they hadn't been enemies, could they have been friends? They were amiable enough to each other at the university. Maybe some day he'd find out, but for now, he was content enough to look at his wife and his newborn son and think about their future.

**The End**


End file.
